TWENTYFOURSEVEN IS NO LONGER PERFORMING, THE GROUP STOPPED TRAVELING AND PERFORMING TOGETHER IN THE FALL OF 2002. Founded in late 1998, by Michael James and Steven Toney, twentyfourseven was a powerful force in acappella music during the late 1990's and early 2000's. What originally started out as 6 guys singing for fun in a stairwell at Lipscomb University quickly turned into a group that, over the next several years, would sing for hundreds and thousands of people, record two albums, win an award for one album, and would perform all over the eastern United States.

Based out of Nashville, Tennessee, twentyfourseven performed their first concert in March of 1999 for a group from the Tusculum Church of Christ. The original five members were: Greg Hardison, Michael James, Byron Sommardahl, Steven Toney, and Brent Whitworth. The group went on to perform more than 20 shows in less than three months during the summer of '99. Twentyfourseven continued crafting their style, learning and writing new music, and performing throughout the state of Tennesse during 1999 and 2000. In the fall of 2000, the group experienced its first shift in membership as Michael James left 24-7 to pursue a ministry career. Greg, Byron, Steven, and Brent continued on with the group as they brought in their good friend Mark Duckworth as a manager/producer. Mark brought his great song writing and arranging talents to the group, as well as a large list of connections within the Christian music industry. In December of 2000, after months of hard work and preparation, twentyfourseven entered Earful Studios in Brentwood, TN to begin work on their first album, entitled "all day. everyday." Due to limited studio time, the guys spent an average of 18 hours a day over a 6 day period to get this recording done in time. With a few additional recording sessions in the months to follow, and many hours spent mixing and editing by producers Gary Miller and Mark Duckworth, twentyfourseven was able to release their debut album on April 20, 2001. The album was a huge success as hundreds of albums were sold within the first few hours at the group's release party. The same night that the album was released, 24-7 also introduced the newest member of the group, tenor Derrick Robinson. Originally from Cincinatti, Ohio, Derrick's smooth lead and tenor vocals were the perfect addition to 24-7. The next two years would be extremely busy for 24-7 as they continued to travel all over Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Mississippi, and even New York. In the summer of 2001, twentyfourseven signed on with Ideal Management, and Keith Hall (former road manager of Glorify Him) and began re-establishing their direction. New songs were learned, a new look was put together, and a completely new concert was created. Keith Hall brought in his good friend, Michael Forehand (who was singing in the Vocal Union at the time) to help write and arrange some new music. As 24-7 re-created themselves, they also began saving money to eventually get back in the studio. 24-7 then held a showcase concert to debut their new show with all their new songs and new look. This was a huge success as close to 400 people attended and gave the guys a great response. In December of 2001, the group experienced another shift in membership, as Greg Hardison announced that he would be leaving twentyfourseven to move back to his hometown of Lewisburg, TN to pursue a full-time career at a local funeral home. Being one of the original five members, Greg was indeed greatly missed. However, 24-7 had gained quite a bit of momentum, so they decided continue singing. Stepping right in where Greg left off, Mark Duckworth brought his great bass voice into the mix. The year of 2002 started off with a bang. With a new concert put together, a new bass, and lots of new contacts, 24-7 continued to travel, spreading the Word of God through their music. In the spring of 2002, some of the success paid off as 24-7 was able to purchase their own recording equipment and set up their very own studio. The guys jumped right in and if they weren't on the road, they were in the studio working on the new album. The summer of 2002 was extremely busy, but it also brought lots of changes to 24-7 and would eventually become the group's last summer of travelling and performing, with their final performance being at Youth in Action in Louisville, KY that August. However, with a recording nearly complete, a couple of the guys decided to go ahead and finish the new album, simply for the dedicated 24-7 fans. The summer of 2003 marked the release of "Changes," twentyfourseven's sophomore album. This album would go on to win "Best Religious Album Of The Year" at the 2004 Contemporary Acappella Recording Awards, put on by the Contemporary Acappella Society of America. This was a great way to end the 24-7 legacy. Even though 24-7 is no longer performing together, their music still speaks their message loud and clear: Christianity is not just a Sunday thing, it's got to be all day, everyday....24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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